How do I take care of new car leather interior?

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davidhill

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I just bought a new Chevy Equinox with leather and I want to know what products if any to use to keep it looking great.
 
Leather once we see it is cured, treated, died, and pretty much sealed against most common liquids. General cleaning with mild soap and water usually is enough and then top with a leather conditioner or protectant.

I've been using a product called Lexol for years with great success and another product I like is Meguiar's M40.
 
My gf has a 05 Equinox with leather interior and I've used Lexol on it and 1Z einszett leather care both with great results.
 
Verify it's finished Leather (I'd bet half my mf towels) Check by placing a drop of water on it and see that it doesn't absorb.
Assuming it is do the following:
1.-Clean your leather good with Ultima Interior Shampoo. You can wipe it down with water after but don't have to.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/31246-review-ultima-interior-shampoo-gel.html
2.-Allow to completely dry
3.-Apply Ultima Interior Guard and walk away. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...3-review-ultima-interior-guard-plus-uigp.html
Every 2 or 3 months do these 3 steps again

Now that its properly cleaned and sealed
Heres the best thing you can do:
Wipedown with clean wet cloth or mf ever week or two or as often as you can. This will help to keep dirt from rubbing away at the protective finish over the years.
 
BobbyG said:
Leather once we see it is cured, treated, died, and pretty much sealed against most common liquids. General cleaning with mild soap and water usually is enough and then top with a leather conditioner or protectant.

I've been using a product called Lexol for years with great success and another product I like is Meguiar's M40.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

Your Pontiac Star Chief you have for sale is awesome :props:
 
Probably the most important thing you can do once you decide upon a product line is to put your car's interior on a regular maintenance program versus waiting till it gets visibly dirty or the leather is cracking and then try to undo the damage.

A good general schedule is once a month, especially for any areas where your skin touches,

  • Seats where your legs would touch is you're wearing shorts
  • Any arm rests
  • Steering wheel
  • Door grabs

"Find something you like and use it often"


Or at least as often as required to meet your maintenance and appearance expectations.

:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Probably the most important thing you can do once you decide upon a product line is to put your car's interior on a regular maintenance program versus waiting till it gets visibly dirty or the leather is cracking and then try to undo the damage.

A good general schedule is once a month, especially for any areas where your skin touches,

  • Seats where your legs would touch is you're wearing shorts
  • Any arm rests
  • Steering wheel
  • Door grabs
"Find something you like and use it often"


Or at least as often as required to meet your maintenance and appearance expectations.

:)
Click to expand...

very true. i keep my leather vacuumed regulaly. and cleaned when needed and conditoned a couple times a year. im super happy with pinnacle. its safe and works great. smells nice too.
 
I really thankful to all of you.Al your information is really helpful and useful for me.Once again thank you all of you!!
 
Same question, but is there a wait period on a new car when you just use a damp micro fiber cloth before switching to a product?

have used Lexol on my previous car (BMW 528i) with great results, but should I jump right in with it on a new car?
 
bhrees said:
Same question, but is there a wait period on a new car when you just use a damp micro fiber cloth before switching to a product?

have used Lexol on my previous car (BMW 528i) with great results, but should I jump right in with it on a new car?
Click to expand...

no wait period.

The sooner the better. :xyxthumbs:
 
Pinnacle/Wolfgang cleaner and conditioner will leave your car feeling soft without the grease, smelling like new leather. When I detail any vehicle with leather I'll use it and the first thing my clients say is "Hum smells new!" :xyxthumbs:
 
If you have coated leather, the conditioner is doing absolutely nothing to protect it
 
Thanks everybody for giving a good response.
Now I am really very happy and tension free about my car leather interior.
 
Flash Gordon said:
If you have coated leather, the conditioner is doing absolutely nothing to protect it
Click to expand...

while that is fact in a way, its not entirely true. The reality is that a leather conditioner still makes the leather feel supple and smooth (and possibly smell clean or nice). Which is the part that counts, considering you are spending the most time with your butt in the seat. They also add further UV protection.

So IMO and IME, a leather conditioner is still an important step to do after cleaning the seats.

Also after you clean your finished leather seats, which have a clear vinyl coating (that defines finished leather), there is the potential for the vinyl coating to look and feel dried out. possibly more-so based on what you use to clean the finished leather. So for the same reason people like to protect and condition there vinyl interior parts, the same goes for the clear vinyl coated seats...

The conditioners contain UV protection. and while your cars paint already has UV protection from the factory, does that stop people from waxing and sealing them ? :)

With that said, there are quite a few products which were designed specifically for finished leather care. Two of them off the top of my head are :

1z leathercare - clean and condition

Sonax Leather foam - clean and condition
 
I have used pinnacle cleaner and conditioner with amazing results. After you buff the leather, it leaves a really nice matt finish. It is not greasy at all. The best part is sliding in and out of your seats. I am going to try leather master next. The smell is neutral and not intrusive.
 
mg6045 said:
while that is fact in a way, its not entirely true. The reality is that a leather conditioner still makes the leather feel supple and smooth (and possibly smell clean or nice). Which is the part that counts, considering you are spending the most time with your butt in the seat. They also add further UV protection.

So IMO and IME, a leather conditioner is still an important step to do after cleaning the seats.

Also after you clean your finished leather seats, which have a clear vinyl coating (that defines finished leather), there is the potential for the vinyl coating to look and feel dried out. possibly more-so based on what you use to clean the finished leather. So for the same reason people like to protect and condition there vinyl interior parts, the same goes for the clear vinyl coated seats...

The conditioners contain UV protection. and while your cars paint already has UV protection from the factory, does that stop people from waxing and sealing them ? :)

With that said, there are quite a few products which were designed specifically for finished leather care. Two of them off the top of my head are :

1z leathercare - clean and condition

Sonax Leather foam - clean and condition
Click to expand...


I suppose we will have to agree to disagree on this one. The next thread though, I bet we're 100% together on :props:
 
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